


the sounds of music

by elleterates



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: Childhood Memories, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Light Angst, M/M, music prompt from rwrb winterfest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:42:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28167921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elleterates/pseuds/elleterates
Summary: For Henry, he knew the season had come upon him, was when he would be awakened by the sound of Christmas songs.
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	the sounds of music

Alex had once told Henry that he knew it was officially the holiday season when he heard the music of the “I Wish You a Merry Christmas” Hershey Kisses chocolate candy commercial. That seemed to be a common opinion upon Americans. June said that she knew it was the holiday season the moment the remainder of the strangling Halloween decorations disappeared and their dad started force-feeding them his hot chocolate. Alex argued that they were the same day.

For Henry, he knew the season had come upon him when he would be awakened by the sound of Christmas songs.

_"Pip, quite down, your brother is still sleeping.”_

_"But Mum!” A young prince, no older than 5, whined. He and his mother were standing in his baby brother’s nursery, His mother is folding baby clothes at the moment, actively trying to kill Philip of boredom. “It’s 8 in the morning, I want to play and Bea won’t play with me.”_

_Princess Cathrine sighed, “Have you asked her if she wants to play something she would be interested in?”_

_"Well. No, but-”_

_“Hey, Pip!” A warm voice stage whispers from the doorway. “Do you want to go play band with me and sister?” A happy Beatrice clapped at the idea from behind her father. Philip nodded eagerly before trying to grab his mother’s hand._

_“Go have fun, Love. I have stuff to do.” She kissed her eldest son’s cheek. “And Arthur, keep it down please.” The soft sounds of Arthur trying to teach both children jingle bells on various instruments were, in fact, not a silent or remotely quiet task, Catherine continued to fold clothes, mostly long sleeve shirts to prepare for the coming winter until she near soft laughter coming from her previously sleeping child._

_She picks up her smiling baby from out of his crib, cooing, “why good morning. Do you like the music? Are you excited for your first Christmas season? I’m sure you are!”_

_The family is later found all in the music room. Two parents and a baby on a piano bench, one daughter on the guitar, and one son on the violin- jiggling all the way_. 

Right now, Alex was dozing off on the couch. They were watching a new Christmas themed Netflix show. Even though Alex had very much been enjoying it, something about seeing a high schooler in a caroling group resurfaced a memory for him, causing him to spend the last hour talking about how his lacrosse team once sold musical holiday card. He explained that this consisted of someone buying 10 cent kazoos and the whole team going to people's houses and playing them a song and a card. Turns out that their school band was doing a similar fundraiser and they had actual instruments and some of them had to have musical talent. All in all, the team sold 20 cards for a dollar each and ended up losing money if they accounted for gas, supplies, and the team stopped at McDonald's. 

Alex laid on Henry’s chest as Henry ran his fingers through his hair. After talking himself out of breath, Alex started to hum a familiar tune before falling asleep. 

_Henry is rudely woken up by a loud, squeaky noise and his sister standing above his bed. With a kazoo. Playing Feliz Navidad._

_He sits up groggy and blinks around his room trying to get a sense of the time. “Bea?”_

_“Come on! Wake up! Dad wants us to help decorate!” Bea climbs into his bed with him, trying to shake some of the lingering sleep off her brother. “We have to hurry before Philip puts up all the nice ornaments and tinsel!”_

_Despite her attempts, Henry pushes Bea off of his and climbs under his covers. Sometimes the bed reminds him of the time they went to the beach and he was afraid the waves were going to steal him away. Philip called him a wuss then. Philip is 9 years old. He is strong and brave and knows how to swim without floaties. He is so much more smarter than Henry. Gran looked disappointed in Henry too. Luckily Mum picked him up and called him her favorite and strongest 4-year-old, and he laughed. But 4-year-olds can’t help with decorations._

_“Gran said I’m not allowed to touch any Christmas stuff until I’m 5 and can tie my shoes.”_

_“But Gran isn’t here!” Bea grabs her kazoo and starts humming some unrecognizable tune._

_“But what if I break something?”_

_“You won’t.”_

_“But-” Bea covers his mouth with her hand, efficiently cutting him off. “You won’t! Now please hurry before Philip drinks our hot chocolate too.” Henry bits her hand just because she is still covering his mouth and because he can. “OW! You dolt. I’m going to drink your hot chocolate now.”_

_They race down the hallway._

The show soundtrack was, in Henry’s educated opinion, amazing. He stopped being able to actually pay attention to the show as soon as Alex started his tangent, and even now with him asleep, Henry is just sitting there listening to the show’s music play. Paying attention to nothing except some holiday song and Alex’s curls.

_“Henry! Pay attention! Wake up!” Philip snaps at him. The sounds of Silver Bells fills the hospital. He wasn’t necessarily asleep but he was also not awake either. He knew that it was only a matter of time until these runs to the hospital would become useless. It hasn’t yet, but soon. He hadn’t noticed when the hospital radio station stopped playing pop music, he felt so disconnected from everything and everyone but his father._

_“I’m up.”_

_“Bea needs a break. I’m taking her home. Are you coming?” Every time they rush to the hospital in the middle of the night and his siblings need to go home in the morning, even for something as quick as a shower, he always refused. He won’t go home unless it is with his dad, or that isn’t an option._

_“No, I’m fine. You lot go ahead.”_

_They return home a few days later._

_“Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock_

_Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring_

_Snowin' and blowin' up bushels of fun”_

Henry groans. His back is stiff and his left arm is asleep. He looks down to see Alex scrolling through Tiktok on his phone. “Isn’t it a bit too early for that?”

Alex looks up and grins, “It is never too early for Mean Girls!” Alex’s laugh fills the air, and it sounds like music to Henry’s ears and it fills him with so much holiday spirit.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm 13 minutes late to posting this on the 18th..... welp. Happy Holidays everyone! 
> 
> talk to me on twitter @alexgcds or on tumblr @alexgcd <3


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